I Had A Dream
by KSTapp
Summary: I found this creative writing exercise. Write about a charter's dream. Open a dictionary at random halfway through writing the dream, & introduce the first object that you encounter into your dream. (Mine was lark). Make the dream change; if it's a pleasant dream, introduce something frightening; if it's a nightmare, change the dream into something less alarming.


I Had a Dream

Since Killian had returned from the Underworld, his dreams had been filled with a mix of what had been done to him while in the Underworld, his past and his hopes for the future with Emma and Henry. It wasn't really unexpected after having been a Dark One and ending up in the Underworld.

Emma was only just beginning to sleep soundly after being the Dark One and going to the Underworld to get him back, so the last thing he wanted to do was wake her with his bad dreams. She was so excited about their future together. And it had taken them a while to get to that point.

It always started serenely enough. He and Swan sharing a quiet night at home watching Netflix, which had been recently explained to him. Sometimes Henry was with them, sometimes not. It was warm, loving and it felt as though he was finally part of a family.

Just when he started feeling as though he belonged, that was usually when the dream changed. This part was always different. One time his Father appeared dragging him back to the Underworld, claiming it was Killian's fault he was down there and couldn't move on.

Apparently selling two of your sons into slavery and naming the third after the first, couldn't possibly be the reason for him being there in the first place. Sure, Killian had been the one to kill him so he was partially responsible but it was his Father's actions when he had been alive that had ensured he would end up in the Underworld. An argument ensued and Killian woke as the torture started.

Another time it was a man he had killed for looking at Milah the wrong way. Then the crew member he had killed for stealing from him. Most recently it was Charming's Father. This one weighed on him the heaviest. He wasn't sure if it was due to his friendship with his future Father-in law or because he had recently discovered he was responsible. Thinking back it was probably because he now looked on Charming as a friend. Or maybe it was because he had been certain that Emma would never marry the man who had murdered her Grandfather. Even though he knew now that that part of his past was accepted by both Emma and Charming as part of his past, it still weighed heavily on his mind.

There was on common factor in every dream: the lark. His sub-conscious told him that when the lark appeared, that was when the dream would become a nightmare. He was uncertain of its significance but sure enough the small brown bird appeared in every dream.

He'd used the magic information box and the library to research the bird, but all he discovered was that it was found in Australia and some parts of North America. No hint of why it kept appearing in his dreams. Or if the lark was the key to making the dreams stop, at least the nightmare part of them.

Unfortunately despite his best efforts, Emma had noticed that he hadn't been sleeping well. His first instinct was to deny anything was wrong so as not to worry her. But then he remembered how much trouble that had gotten him into in the past. Finally he broke down and told her everything.

Of course Emma was worried and a little hurt that he hadn't told her sooner, but then she went into full Saviour mode. Rather than research the lark, she researched dreams. "Have you tried following the bird?" It was an idea that had popped into her mind rather than anything her research had uncovered.

"Well, I'm not awake at the time Love." It hadn't occurred to him to follow it though. If anything, every time he saw the lark it meant his dream was going to take a turn for the worst and he would wake himself up to avoid seeing the horrifying things his dreams was revealing and making him relive. "What are you thinking?"

"I could be right off base, but maybe the bird is there to show you through the darkness. It couldn't hurt to try though." She figured the worst that could happen was Killian wouldn't get a good night's sleep and that was already happening. The upside being that he wouldn't be torturing himself.

"No, I don't suppose it would." Swan was right. It couldn't hurt to try. Killian was willing to try if only to stop Emma from worrying. And if it worked he would be able to get a full night's sleep. Perhaps he would even be able to work out what the dream or nightmare was trying to tell him. There had to be some meaning to it.

That night Killian fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow due to too many nights of disturbed sleep. His dream started the same as usual, Emma and Henry the centre of his world and everyone happy. The very future he had been aiming for. Then he spotted the lark and he was back in the Underworld.

Keeping in mind what Emma had suggested he followed the lark when it flew into the darkness. It wasn't easy when his focus was being drawn to look back by people being tortured around him. Some that he knew. They were the worst ones to leave behind. Then he remembered Hades was gone and Arthur was ruling the Underworld now. This sort of thing would no longer be happening. At least he hoped not.

The further through the Underworld the lark led him, the brighter it got. The darkness and horror fading away. He was literally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And there waiting for him was Zeus, showing him the way home. He had never got this far in his dream before. He had always woken himself when the dream turned dark, not allowing himself to even hope for the bright future and his happy ending.

His Swan had been right. He should have known better than to doubt her. The bird had been trying to show him through the darkness. To show him that despite the bad he had done in the past, he too could have a happy ending. All he had to do was let go of the past so that he could look to the future.

THE END


End file.
